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ITINERARY        COST & DATES        WHAT'S INCLUDED      RESERVE YOUR SPOT      

Art magazine publisher Eric Rhoads’ PUBLISHER’S INVITATIONAL events are legendary. Designed for fun, play, and painting, they always sell out a year in advance.

Join Eric Rhoads for a HISTORIC Trip to Paint Cuba Before It Changes
February 6-13, 2016

Imagine telling your grandchildren you were one of the first painters to enter Cuba after the long embargo. Consider the huge response you’ll receive to the paintings you’ll create of crumbling buildings, classic automobiles still used in daily life, the stunning countryside, and the amazing Cuban people. 

Escape the winter cold and snow and exchange it for the perfect Caribbean climate as you paint your way through Old Havana and other parts of Cuba.

Your trip will include comfortable 4-star hotel accommodations, daily painting outings, and just the right amount of sightseeing and touring to fill your camera with historic photographs, bright colors, and sunshine-filled scenes.

You’ll see Cuba as it is today — before it loses so many incredibly paintable subjects and right before the developers come in and turn it into a modern tourism capital.

Reserve your spot today!


PS: Because you will be making history, many are bringing their spouse or significant other. Plus we have had collectors sign up knowing this is a painters trip. (Note: We will be touring AND painting.)

A Plein Air Painting Trip Like None Other in History
Limited to Just 100 People
Some of the Artists You Make Know Who Are Attending
Michelle Byrne
Shelby Keefe
Charlie Hunter
Cesar Santos
Larry Moore

You’ll be among the first plein air painters in history to set foot in the newly opened Cuba. This is a special one-time trip to a painting location that rivals any in the world; it’s like going back in time to post-revolution Cuba. After even one more year, Cuba will never again be the same.

Incredible Subjects to Paint
Stunning Countryside
The Extraordinary Cuban People
Tropical Climate
Cuba Itinerary*

* subject to change


February 5, 2016: Pre-trip dinner and “Get Acquainted” cocktail reception in Tampa. (We will depart on a charter flight from Tampa the following morning.)

February 6, 2016: Day 1 – Saturday: Arrival and Hello, Cuba

  • Arrival at Havana’s José Martí International Airport. Collect your bags and go through customs. You’re welcomed at the airport lobby by your Cuba Education Tours guide and professional bus chauffeur.

  • Private transfer to Hotel Palco. 

  • Private check-in with assistance from your guide. Followed by a welcome cocktail with hotel directors and staff. 

  • Free time to settle in and rest up at your hotel. 

  • This evening you’ll enjoy a group welcome dinner with your Cuban guide and tourmates in the hotel.  

  • Your guide will keep you posted on local entertainment options.

Day 2 – Sunday: Exploring Old Havana

  • Breakfast in hotel (included in tour cost).

  • Followed by a walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll visit four of the five historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere. Havana contains the largest collection of remaining colonial-era architecture. This is a private tour led by your Cuba Education Tours guide.  

  • Time for painting in Old Havana. 

  • Group welcome lunch at restaurant El Templete (included in tour cost). 

  • Free time to continue painting in Old Havana 

  • Bus will pick up participants at 4:30 p.m. 

  • Return to hotel 

  • Dinner at rooftop of Armadores de Santander Hotel restaurant (included) 

  • EVENING SPECIAL: Witness a most dramatic ceremony, El Cañonazo, the firing of the 9 p.m. cannon at the Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña. This enchanting colonial reenactment dates back to 1519, when the city of Havana was enclosed by a high, thick rock wall to ward off attacks from pirates and the English. The cannon firing signaled the closing of the city gates for the night. If you were outside at the time, you were in the “vedado,” or forbidden zone. Today Vedado is an important cultural hub and a beautiful section of modern Havana (included in tour cost).

Day 3 – Monday: Old Havana

  • Breakfast in hotel.

  • Morning departure to Old Havana. 

  • Free time for painting. Lunch (not included). 

  • Free time for painting in Old Havana 

  • Bus will pick up participants at 4:30 p.m. 

  • Return to hotel. 

  • Dinner at El Aljibe restaurant (included). 

  • Evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city.

Day 4 – Tuesday: Art 

  • Breakfast in hotel.

  • Time for painting in Old Havana. 

  • Lunch at restaurant El Santo Angel in Old Havana (included). 

  • Free time for painting in Old Havana. 

  • Bus will pick up participants at 4:30 p.m. 

  • Dinner (not included). 

  • Evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city.

Day 5 – Wednesday: Havana and Arts

  • Breakfast in hotel.

  • Morning departure to Bosque de La Habana (Havana’s Forest). 

  • Free time for painting the beautiful surroundings of Bosque de La Habana.

  • Visit José Fúster, one of Cuba’s most important ceramists and painters, at his whimsical studio in Jaimanitas, just outside of Havana. 

  • Lunch at Fúster’s (included). 

  • Free time for painting the surroundings of Jaimanitas. 

  • Return to hotel, bus will pick up participants at 4:30 p.m. 

  • Dinner at private restaurant La California (included). 

  • Evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city.

Day 6 – Thursday: Arts

  • Breakfast in hotel.

  • Visit the Museum of Arte Universal (Universal Art). 

  • Time for painting in Central Havana. 

  • Lunch (not included). 

  • Time for painting in Central Havana. 

  • Bus will pick up participants at 4:30 p.m. 

  • Return to hotel. 

  • Dinner at private restaurant La Casa (included).

Day 7 – Friday: Arts

  • Breakfast in hotel.

  • Early departure to Cojímar, a small fishing village that was one of Hemingway’s favorite places. 

  • Time for painting in Cojímar. 

  • Bus will pick up at 12:30 p.m. to take group to lunch. 

  • TOUR HIGHLIGHT: Lunch prepared by private restaurant El Ajiaco in Cojímar (included). 

  • Time for painting in Cojímar. 

  • Bus will pick up participants at 4:30 p.m. 

  • Return to hotel in Havana. 

  • Farewell dinner at Café del Oriente restaurant (included). 

Day 8 – Saturday: Havana and Home

  • Breakfast in hotel.

  • Check out of hotel. 

  • Transfer to José Martí International Airport for flights home.

Things happen: Our Cuban partners work super hard to make your tour unfold seamlessly. Unlike in the States, however, they lack easy access to communications, transportation, and supplies. Once in a while, itinerary changes are necessary to accommodate island realities. If anything promised is missed, we will replaced it with an activity or service of equal interest and value.

Costs & Dates
$3,397 per person

Tour cost based on double occupancy (sharing a double room during tour).
Single rooms are limited. Call Graciella at 888-965-5647 for pricing and availability.

February 6 through February 13, 2016

Included in tour cost

  • Breakfast for seven days, four lunches, and six dinners are included in the price of the trip. All taxes are included. Prices listed are the total amounts you pay. All amounts are quoted in U.S. dollars.

  • Airport transfers: We meet you at José Martí International Airport in Havana and take you to your hotel upon arrival. We return you to José Martí airport for departure.

  • Hotels as listed in tour itinerary.  

  • Pre-trip dinner and cocktail reception in Tampa. 

  • Welcome cocktail and orientation gathering with hotel management, staff, and your Cuba Education and Explorer Tours guide upon arrival. 

  • All activities, services, speakers, meetings, and meals as described in tour itinerary except those noted as “optional” or “not included in tour cost.” 

  • Luxury air-conditioned coach transportation and a full-time professional driver.  

  • An expert English-speaking Cuban guide and translator whose background matches tour content throughout the program. 

  • Mandatory official Cuban medical insurance coverage during your island stay.  

  • Ongoing support from Cuba Education and Explorer Tours staff in Canada before, during, and after your stay.

  • Emergency collect call access to our North American staff while in Cuba.  

  • Emergency cash advances for our tour participants who face complications in accessing funds from abroad while in Cuba.

Not included in cost

  • Cost of airfare to and from Havana.

  • Domestic connecting flights to Tampa. Round-trip air between Tampa and Havana. Hotel stays in Tampa. February 5 one-night reservation at Marriott Tampa Airport Hotel (will be arranged by 1WorldArtTravel). 

  • Cuban tourist card.  

  • Gratuities for Cuban tour guide, bus driver, chambermaids, restaurant staff, porters, etc. Please see gratuities guidelines. 

  • Optional travel interruption and cancellation insurance. Tour cost includes an excellent Cuban medical policy.

Note from PleinAir:  Advance shipping of art materials to Havana is not possible. Each person should bring their own non-flammable mineral spirits to carry on the airplane. Must be small containers and unopened (sealed). If you do not have mineral spirits, gasoline is used by artists in Havana, though we do not recommend it.

Reserve your spot today!
  • Click the big green button below, then enter your first name and e-mail address in the popup.

  • Create a log-in account and click the button at the bottom right for the next step. 

  • Fill out the appropriate details on the form. 

  • If your intention is to share a room, click on that selection. If you don’t know yet who your roommate will be, just put an X in the box where it asks "Name of My Tour Roommate" (the information can be added later). If you do know, then enter that name.  

  • You will see "Add Travelers to My Reservation". Select "Yes" only if one person is paying for both — for example, in the case of a couple. If you do click “Yes,” the next page will ask for information on Additional Traveler 1.  

  • Click “Next Step,” read and agree to the terms, and enter your billing information. 

  • You will be asked to confirm all details before submitting.